voices went on. There wasn t room for one where she came from. The
land there is worth a thousand pounds an inch!
Don t make excuses, said the Guard: you should have bought one from
the engine-driver. And once more the chorus of voices went on with
The man that drives the engine. Why, the smoke alone is worth a
thousand pounds a puff!
Alice thought to herself, Then there s no use in speaking. The voices
didn t join in this time, as she hadn t spoken, but to her great
surprise, they all _thought_ in chorus (I hope you understand what
_thinking in chorus_ means for I must confess that _I_ don t), Better
say nothing at all. Language is worth a thousand pounds a word!
I shall dream about a thousand pounds tonight, I know I shall!
thought Alice.
All this time the Guard was looking at her, first through a telescope,
then through a microscope, and then through an opera-glass. At last he
said, You re travelling the wrong way, and shut up the window and
went away.
So young a child, said the gentleman sitting opposite to her (he was
dressed in white paper), ought to know which way she s going, even if
she doesn t know her own name!
A Goat, that was sitting next to the gentleman in white, shut his eyes
and said in a loud voice, She ought to know her way to the
ticket-office, even if she doesn t know her alphabet!
There was a Beetle sitting next to the Goat (it was a very queer
carriage-full of passengers altogether), and, as the rule seemed to be
that they should all speak in turn, _he_ went on with She ll have to
go back from here as luggage!
Alice couldn t see who was sitting beyond the Beetle, but a hoarse
voice spoke next. Change engines it said, and was obliged to leave
off.
It sounds like a horse, Alice thought to herself. And an extremely
23